Owen County Collaborative Addiction Treatment Initiative

The Owen County Collaborative Addiction Treatment Initiative (OCCATI) is a consortium of Northern Kentucky community partners invested in addressing substance use disorder and healthcare gaps in the eight-county Northern Kentucky region. Our projects are funded by a Health Resources and Services Administration implementation grant.

Consortium members

• Northern Kentucky University (NKU)
• Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKY ADD)
• Northkey Community Care
• Owen County Drug Prevention Coalition
• Owen County Schools
• St. Elizabeth Healthcare
• Three Rivers District Health Department
• Triad Health Systems, Inc.

Mission & Vision

Our mission is to develop a strategic plan for essential evidence-based early intervention and treatment for new substance users as well as to shrink the behavioral and medical healthcare gaps in the eight-county Northern Kentucky region for those seeking treatment and support for substance use disorders. Our longer-range vision is to provide a replicable model for the Commonwealth of Kentucky of regional health consortia that reduce substance abuse mortality and morbidity through more effective, data-driven resource allocation and intentional workforce development focused on targeted student or trainee recruitment, education, placement, and loan repayment programs.

Through the OCCATI, we collaborate to address unmet health workforce needs by:

1. Developing early intervention programs that decrease reliance on emergency services;
2. Increasing capacity for early intervention in adolescents (ages 13-17) and young adults (ages 18-22);
3. And developing recruitment, scholarship, field placement, and loan repayment assistance plans that target healthcare students from the rural areas.

Care Coordination

Care Coordinator Shanna Osborne works with the community to provide support through recovery. She builds trust with the community, increasing the number of clients served, and help clients navigate the intimidating and confusing process of getting care.

Contact Shanna

Owen County Care Coordinator
(502) 514-1929
osbornes8@nku.edu

SBIRT in Schools

Owen County Schools has integrated an SBIRT protocol to better support youths who are using illicit substances. This program has three goals:

1. to educate health and wellness staff located within the schools in SBIRT,
2. to track and analyze the outcomes of this education in terms of reported use, drug-related arrests, overdose rates, and attitudes toward illicit substances, and 
3. to develop a “train the trainer” model for the Owen County health and wellness personnel to train teachers and faith leaders in the technique as well. 

Our ultimate goal is to provide a demonstration model of a cost-effective way to prevent OUD, especially in youth and young adults, which we could then work with community and state partners to implement in all of the Northern Kentucky region and beyond.